{"id":15241,"date":"2025-03-25T09:44:48","date_gmt":"2025-03-25T09:44:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/how-a-cheap-drone-punctured-chernobyls-steel-shield-during-the-ukraine-war\/"},"modified":"2025-03-25T09:44:48","modified_gmt":"2025-03-25T09:44:48","slug":"how-a-cheap-drone-punctured-chernobyls-steel-shield-during-the-ukraine-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/how-a-cheap-drone-punctured-chernobyls-steel-shield-during-the-ukraine-war\/","title":{"rendered":"How a Cheap Drone Punctured Chernobyl\u2019s Steel Shield During the Ukraine War"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- ItShrt World News -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"1882483372\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-0\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Eric Schmieman worked for 15 years on the modern engineering equivalent of the Great Pyramid \u2014 building a giant protective shield for a damaged reactor at Chernobyl that would protect the world from further fallout from the worst ever nuclear disaster.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The steel shell, slid into place over Reactor No. 4 on railroad tracks in 2016, is the world\u2019s largest movable structure. It is as tall as a football field and weighs almost 40,000 tons. More than 45 countries and organizations spent almost <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.voanews.com\/a\/europe_ukraine-chernobyls-radioactive-dust-shelter-unveiled\/6171603.html\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">$1.7 billion<\/a> building it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cWe did a lot of safety analysis, considering a lot of bad things that could happen,\u201d said Mr. Schmieman, 78, a retired civil engineer from Washington state who was a senior technical adviser on the project. \u201cWe considered earthquakes, tornadoes, heavy winds, 100-year snowfalls, all kinds of things. We didn\u2019t consider acts of war.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-1\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">On Feb. 14, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/02\/14\/world\/europe\/chernobyl-drone-blast-scene.html\" title=\"\">a drone with a high-explosive warhead<\/a> that likely cost as little as <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/01\/03\/world\/europe\/ukraine-russia-drones.html\" title=\"\">$20,000<\/a> to produce punched a hole in the steel shell. Ukrainian officials said the Russians deliberately targeted the structure with a Shahed 136 drone. The Kremlin has denied responsibility.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-2\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">While the initial fire was quickly put out, a waterproof membrane inside the insulation of the arch burned and smoldered for almost three weeks, said Artem Siryi, the head of the operations department for the structure, called the New Safe Confinement. Emergency workers in mountain-climbing equipment had to knock holes into the shield\u2019s outer layer, hunting for the fire, and spray water inside a structure designed to stay dry to prevent corrosion, Ukrainian officials and international experts said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">On <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.chnpp.gov.ua\/en\/infocenter\/news\/6356-information-on-the-status-of-the-emergency-situation-elimination-at-the-site-of-new-safe-confinement-nsc-and-shelter-object-complex-as-a-result-of-a-direct-hit-by-a-russian-uav-into-the-protective-shell-of-the-nsc-as-of-09-00-on-07-03-2025\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">March 7<\/a>, Ukraine declared the fire officially extinguished. But by that point, roughly half of the northern section of the shield had been damaged, Ukrainian officials said. The International Atomic Energy Agency <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.iaea.org\/newscenter\/pressreleases\/update-280-iaea-director-general-statement-on-situation-in-ukraine\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">said<\/a> on March 13 that the fires and smoldering had caused \u201cextensive damage, including to the northern side and to a lesser extent to the southern side of its roof,\u201d according to an evaluation that Ukraine shared with the agency.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Radiation levels outside Chernobyl are still normal, the I.A.E.A. and Ukrainian nuclear regulators say. But it is unclear how the shield will be fixed, how much it will cost and how long it will take.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Repairs could take years, nuclear experts warn. That could delay a plan to dismantle the damaged reactor and safely dispose of the radioactive waste that was supposed to begin over the next five years. And there are risks that the steel shell starts corroding \u2014 or that the temporary \u201csarcophagus\u201d Soviet engineers built around the reactor almost 40 years ago, which still sits within the shell, deteriorates further.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-3\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThe reason the international community spent so much money and time building this structure is because they know the scale of the threat radiologically inside,\u201d said Shaun Burnie, a nuclear specialist at Greenpeace who visited the damaged reactor at Chernobyl after the drone attack.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cIt\u2019s an enormous intellectual achievement to build something that could protect Europe, Ukraine and the world from what\u2019s inside,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd now the Russians have basically blown a hole in it, both physically and metaphorically.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">On Thursday, Greenpeace released a <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=M3iIewZqAu4https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?app=desktop&amp;v=kJn4QySoT68\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">report<\/a> saying the drone attack severely compromised plans for the damaged reactor and that the shell was no longer functioning as designed. Jan Vande Putte, a nuclear specialist at Greenpeace Ukraine, said the entire shell might have to be removed, dismantled and replaced \u2014 a view echoed by Mr. Schmieman and Mr. Siryi. The I.A.E.A. said the shell\u2019s confinement function had been compromised and that the structure needed \u201cextensive repair efforts.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Both Russia and Ukraine have targeted one another\u2019s energy infrastructure since Moscow\u2019s full-scale invasion in February 2022, but both have also stopped short of launching major strikes at nuclear power plants.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-4\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">On Wednesday, as part of negotiations on a potential cease-fire, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/03\/20\/world\/europe\/trump-ukraine-nuclear-plants.html\" title=\"\">President Trump<\/a> suggested that the United States take over Ukraine\u2019s electrical and nuclear power sites, arguing that this would help protect them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Drones continue to fly over Chernobyl almost every night, Mr. Siryi said in an interview. \u201cTheir motor noise has become a familiar sound,\u201d he added. Many were likely heading toward Kyiv, the country\u2019s capital.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-5\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">For people of a certain age, the explosion at Chernobyl in 1986, after years of heightened fears of nuclear war between the Soviet Union and the United States, was the stuff of nightmares. It sent a plume of radioactive material into the air, caused a public health emergency across Europe and led many to question nuclear energy. The Soviets, who initially hid the extent of the disaster, hastily built the concrete-and-steel emergency \u201csarcophagus\u201d to encase the damaged reactor. Authorities also set up a 1,000-square-mile \u201cexclusion zone\u201d where no one was allowed to live.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The explosion\u2019s official death toll was 31. But many other people got sick or eventually died. Cancer rates, especially for thyroid cancer, increased in areas heavily exposed to radiation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-6\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The sarcophagus, which has become increasingly unstable, was never meant to last. Figuring out how to replace it took decades.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The confinement structure at Chernobyl that Mr. Schmieman worked on was an engineering and construction feat, designed to protect the damaged reactor for 100 years. To minimize radiation exposure, the structure was built about one-third of a mile away from the damaged reactor, then moved into place. It is about 40 feet thick, with an outer and an inner shell that are both made of steel. The humidity level between the shells is kept below 40 percent to prevent corrosion.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The outer shell is the key to keeping out precipitation, Mr. Schmieman said. The inner shell is designed to keep the radioactive dust inside the structure, especially when the cranes already set up start <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rferl.org\/a\/inside-chernobyl-nuclear-power-plant-conferment-shelter-photo\/29583945.html\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">taking apart<\/a> the sarcophagus and the damaged reactor before safely disposing of the waste in smaller containers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-7\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">By the end of this year, specialists had aimed to finish the initial plan outlining the first dismantling stage. \u201cUnfortunately, that\u2019s no longer possible\u201d because of the drone attack, Mr. Siryi said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-8\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">He said experts were evaluating how the shell could be fixed \u2014 and even if it could be. Workers would have to close the initial 540-square-foot hole from the drone. But they would also have to seal up the small holes created by workers trying to extinguish the fire. They would have to somehow repair the damaged membrane and insulation and any damaged internal structures. And they would have to reduce the humidity that resulted from hundreds of workers spraying high-powered hoses inside the structure.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Doing that where the confinement shell now sits is probably not possible, experts said, because workers would be exposed to high radiation levels from within. Moving the structure and then fixing it would also be challenging. What would protect the already unstable sarcophagus while that work was carried out?<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cFull restoration of the facility is practically impossible,\u201d Mr. Siryi said. \u201cTo bring it as close as possible to its original state \u2014 well, that would likely require hundreds of millions of dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Schmieman said repairing the structure, or building a new one, would be extremely costly. He suggested temporarily covering the holes \u2014 with something akin to duct tape \u2014 so the ventilation system inside could start reducing humidity. \u201cDon\u2019t immediately look for a quick, permanent solution for the large number of holes in the building, but look for a quick way to reduce corrosion,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">One thing that might help, he said: drones. Largely because of the war, Ukraine has developed drone technology faster than almost any other country. Small drones \u2014 much smaller than the Shahed 136 that pierced the structure \u2014 could perhaps evaluate the damage inside the shell, and even help with fixing it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-9\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-798hid etfikam0\">Oleksandra Mykolyshyn<!-- --> contributed reporting.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- ItShrt World News -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"1882483372\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/03\/25\/world\/europe\/drone-chernobyl-shield-ukraine-war.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Eric Schmieman worked for 15 years on the modern engineering equivalent of the Great Pyramid \u2014 building a giant protective<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15242,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[2438,3082,1630,1599,1008,400],"class_list":["post-15241","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world","tag-chernobyl-ukraine","tag-greenpeace","tag-international-atomic-energy-agency","tag-nuclear-energy","tag-radiation","tag-ukraine"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How a Cheap Drone Punctured Chernobyl\u2019s Steel Shield During the Ukraine War - World News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/how-a-cheap-drone-punctured-chernobyls-steel-shield-during-the-ukraine-war\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How a Cheap Drone Punctured Chernobyl\u2019s Steel Shield During the Ukraine War - World News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Eric Schmieman worked for 15 years on the modern engineering equivalent of the Great Pyramid \u2014 building a giant protective\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/how-a-cheap-drone-punctured-chernobyls-steel-shield-during-the-ukraine-war\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"World News\" \/>\n<meta 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